James m



J. M. SULLIVAN RAZOR BLADE SHARPENER Filed July 12, 1924 Patented Dec. 20, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. SULLIVAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 SAFETY HONE COMPANY,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

RAZOR-BLADE SHARPENER.

Application led July 12, 1924. Serial No. 725,534.

This invention relates to razor Sharpeners but more particularly to mechanical sharpeners for blades of safety razors.

rihe general object of the invention is to produce a small compact machine of novel and `improved construction adapted to be held in one hand of the operator while he turns the operating crank with the other.

A further object is to produce a machine particularly adapted for blades of the well known Gillette type comprising four sharpening elements or rolls and a blade holder arranged centrally with relation to said holes and of novel means for reciprocatingor oscillating the blade to bringit into contact with opposed rolls alternately.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism which is by itself a unitary operative structure and to provide a housing therefor constructively related to parts of the mechanism, in such a manner that per" feet assembly results without securing means connecting the mechanism and the housing container.

Further objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description.

lVhile there is shown in the drawings and described in detail one particular embodiment of my invention, it should be understood that this is exemplary and representative only and is not to be taken as a limitation of the invention. the scope of which' will be pointed out in the appended claims.

The present machine is especially designed for double edge blades of the Gillette type and therefore comprises four sharpening rolls with a centrally located holder for such a blade. For a single edge blade only two of these rolls would be necessary but the four rolls will be useful if the holder be adapted to contain two such single edged blades with edges pointed in opposite directions. Many other modifications of the inventive idea will occur to persons skilled in this art.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the complete device.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device of Fig. l with the top part of the housing removed.

l? ig. 8 is a cross sectional View of the de vice along line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. i is a rear end view of the mechanism, showing the box cut along the line 1 4 0f Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional View along the line .5-5 of Fig. 2 showing the construction of the actuating handle.

Fig. (3 is a detail view of the interior of the box structure.

Fig. 7 is a detail view of a blade holder.

The exemplary device shown in the drawings consists of four rolls held in a frame within the casing. A shaft containing a blade to be sharpened Vis positioned within the rolls so that the blade may contact each roll tai'igentially to be sharpened, thus providing one roll for each face edge. A crank is provided for rotating the rolls through suitable gearing and for moving the blade from one set of rolls to another.

A suitable attractive box or container is first provided for housing the mechanism. The mechanism within the container is provided asa unitary structure compactly enclosed therein, the interior 0f the container being arranged in size and dimensions to house the mechanisn'i merely by the snug fitting relation resulting from the construction employed.

'lfhe container is designated generally by the two numerals lO and 1l corresponding to the lower and upper half box-sections which form a split structure. These arc preferably sheet metal stampings attractively provided with neatly rounded edges and a. pleasing finish. The mechanism is mounted in spaced plates 19. and 13 which are rigidly associated by spacing rods 14. The plates conform in size and shape to the cross section of the interior of the closed container whereby the mechanism is held therein rigidly in two rectangular directions. In the third direction there are means on the container projecting inwardly between said plates to prevent possible motion of the mechanism therein. Such means are shown at 15 (Fig. 6) in the form of an angular flange on the bottom section 10, the flange being provided with holes 16. The

cover member 11 carries a plate 17 having projecting' lugs 18 suitably arranged to lit into said holes 16 in the closed position of the boX.

An opening is provided in the split container for an operating crank and for the insertion of the blade to be sharpened. The opening` is arranged as a willed pocket or depression in the side of the container, forined by a cup-like casing which is unitary With the device carried inside the bon. Figs. v1, 2, and show an elongated dished easing 19 secured by rivets 20 to the side plate 12. The easing 19 is provided with a flange 2l which 'lits against eorrespiniding openings 22 in the container parts. The terminal edges of such openings are turned inwardly bringing the outer face of the yflange 21 and the edecs 23 of the container openings 22 into ain'itting relation.

The operating shaft 2l is tabular in forni bearing in the side Walls 12 and 13, and carrying a gear 26 rigid with it adjacent the plate 13. A longitudinal slot 27 extends substantially the length of the shaft internally thereof to a point adjacent one end 23 Where a shoulder or stop 29 terminates the slot to receive the pin 30 carried by a handle 31 which slides into the tubular shaft 2a. The handle 31 comprises two n'ieinbers which are hinged together in such a inanner that they naay forni a linear' rod Awhich is then slidable into the tubular shaft 21, the pin 30 sliding in the slot 27. The eranll; 32 is the right angle ineinber of the handle hinged at 33 to thev other ineinber 3l which carries the pin 30. In AFigs. 2 and 5 the handle is shown in operative position with the pin 30 locking it against rotation Within the tubular shaft. A transverse slot 35 .is cnt through the hollen7 shaft 211 anda ll-shaped spring` 36 partly encireles the shatr-, there being a straight part 37 in the spring lying in the slot 35. Normally the part 3l" lies across the opening of the hollowv shaft 2land in the withdrawn position of the handle the part 37 lies against the sqiilared end of the handle nieniber 3d as shown in Fig. 5. ln the inserted position of the handle it presses against the nieinber 32 and prevents free niotion th reef in the shaft 2l.

l? 3 shows the arrangement of the sharpening rolls on the shafts 33, 39, -lll and 41 the rolls being constructed of any snitableabrasive material 4t2. The shafts 38 and 40 carry gears d3 and lll which inesh with gear 26 on the actuating' shaft 24. rllhe Walls 12 and 13 provide bearings for all the shafts of the mechanism. Shafts 39 and 41 carry gears Ll5 and d6 meshing Vwith gears 4:3 and et respectively. this arrangement, rolls 38 and 40 travel oppositely to the operating shaft y2st While rolls 39 and 41 travel with shaft 24;. The gears provided for the rolls are of nniforin size giving unireeeaea forni speed to all the rolls, and gear 2l is larger whereby the speed of the rolls is soineivhat faster than the hand rotation of the actuating shaft 24.

The roller shafts 3S, 39A() and are centered at the corners of a rectangle at the di.- agonal center of which located a second tubular shaft l? concentric 'with an opening 418 in the casing lll. through the side plate 13 where oscillatory inotion is iinparted to it. rlfhe shaft is longitudinally split by diainetrically opposite slots 9 extending substantially frein side plate 13 te the extremity of the shaft at openingi all in the casing',

'lfhc extension e() of the shaft Llll" through the plate 13 has thereon a rigid arni 51. 'Ehe arm 5l is arranged to be oscillaled by operation of the actuatingy shal't 2-1 which likewise projects through plate 13 and is provided ivith a crank and a cranlr pin 53. lhe ineens connecting' said shafts serves to transform rotary inotion of shaft inte oscillatory inotion of shaft 4l?. Vl"he arin 51 is :1o arranged that a portion thereof has a longitinlinal slot therein alincd radially to shaft 50. lnto this slot the pin 53 on the actuating shafts nieves to produce the oscillation. lilowever, the character or' the ariu such that the oscillation is not necessarily positive, the arin being constructed with a long` flexing portion ln order to proyide a snlficient length of material for the flexing portion the arni 5l is directed substantially aivay :troni shaft 2st then reversed upon itself at one side et its axis through section 5G and then baelr toward the radial line of slot Bil which is' contained in the longitudinal section 5o carried by the tiere ing portion 55.

'.lhe blade 57 which chosen to illustrate this device is the ifillette type double edged flexible blade. (lonseqncntly, a blade holder is here shown :dapted for this blade. lt in general a round shaft 53 with a half section removed substantially along ils enlirc length from one end. 'lfhc flat thus foi-ined carries lilg" in) adapted to lit into the typical end openii thc liillcllc blade as is clan-ly shown in Vifig. r"he cnil (il) of the bladc holder on left round lo tit wilhin the split shaft -l-T and yto proridc a sullable handle therefor, which remains projecting into thc casiiig 1). Vlilith the blade in place on the holder. the latter inserted into the slotted shaft Il", the blade lying` in the longitudinal slots 419. Suitable openings (51 are provided transversely of the opening 413 in the casin,l 19 and plate 12 to permit insertion of the blade. fi niark G2 across thc handle (i0 at all tinies designates the position of the blade Within the device.

ln the operation of the device, the blade When inserted oscillates lietween tivo positions contacting first diagl'inal rolls 33 and This shaft extei'nlt` lll() lli . without the rigid requirements of accurate construction and delicate adjustments to ensure proper contact of the blade with the rolls.

Furthermore, it is an additional feature of the device that each edge of the blade reciprocates between rolls rotating in the lsame dirccti m. VFor example, in Fig. 3, rolls 32) and .ll are indicated as moving clockwise. rlhe blade edge at the right is being stopped on one face by roll ll and will be honed by roll 39 on the other face after the reciprocating movement. By reversion of the operating handle, the opposite relation will obtain. Thus, it is possible to hone and strop each face edge with one setting of the blade. In the sharpening of cach blade alternate honing and stropping strokes take place at each blade edge, the honing being repeated at the saine face of the edge with one direction of hand rotation. It has been found that such a relation between the rolls and the blade gives a very satisfactory keen edge on the blade and the relation permits of the simplest mechanical structure having a minimum of mechanical parts.

it is important in a device of the character described that thewhole surface of the rolls be utilized in the operation on the blade. For this reason it is important that the oscillation of the blade be non-synchronous with the rotation of the roll. In the device the separate actuating shaft, operating at a diti'erent velocity from the rolls, is used to oscillalc thc blade in order to equalize the wear of the rolls as will hereinafter be more apparent.

ln the drawings, the device is shown as having a gear ratio of et to 23 from the actuatingl shaft. 2l to the rolls. Hence, the blade oscillates three times to four revolutions of each roll. Each oscillation of the blade includes two roll contacts, one on each of two opposing rolls and two passages from roll to roll. It is further pointed out that the spaced relations of the rolls, the required angle of oscillation, the distance between the oscillating shaft and the actuating shaft, the gear ratio and the length of the crank arm are all inter-related to give proper' action to the device, the aim in particular being to utilize the full surface of the abrasive rolls to prevent repeated action on only parts thereof whereby ridges mightbe formed. In the present instance, the device of the drawings having a gear ratio of 1l to 3, and the other relations shown, causes a blade edge to contact one roll for slightly more than onethird of a revolution, the roll making nearly a complete revolution before a second contact whereby three overlapping zones of the roll are used in four successive revolutions before the cycle begins to repeat. Other relations may obtain with the same objects in View which would involve other constructions for the various parts. This invention includes any such devices which embody the foregoing principles and it is the aim in the appended claims to state the invention in its broadest scope limited only by the prior art.

l claim as my invention:

l. A razor blade sharpener comprising, in combination, a unitary blade -sharpening mechanism, having an operating handle therein and a blade holder therefor, a dished member rigid therewith adapted to house the ends of said handle and blade holder, a container for said mechanism comprising separate sections, said container having an opening registering with the dished member to form a pocket in one side of the closed container, said container and mechanism being arranged for a snug lit of the mechanism in the interior ot the casino'.

A razor blade Sharpener comprising, in combination, a unita-ry blade sharpening mechanism and a housing therefor comprising two open box sections adapted to lit end to end to form a closed box, said mechanism having parts thereof snugly fitting each section, said box having an opening therein, an open casing rigid with the mechanism and registering with said box-opening to form a pocket in the housing, the mechanism having operating parts disposed within said pocket for access thereto for operation of the device.

A razor blade Sharpener having, in combination, a unitary blade sharpening mechanism, a housing therefor having two separable sections, parallel side plates in the mechanism, said plates being arranged in shape to lit snugly the interior of the housing, and means in the housing to hold said two sections .in assembled relation, said means being arranged to lit between said plates whereby to preventdisplacement of the, mechanism within said housing, the nousing having an opening therein through which the mechanism is accessible.

4. In a razor blade Sharpener having a rotating member, a bladey holder, and sharpening rolls, an oscillating mechanisml for the blade holder comprising, in combination, a crank arm and pin on the rotatable member, a. crank arm on the blade holder directed first awa-y from the rotatable member, then reversed upon itself at one side of the blade holder axis, said reverse portion being flexible for motion transverse to the axis of the blade holder and extending past the blade lid Een

holder und toward the rotzeble member, iL-11d nu elongated porion. carried by Said flexible portion having an. elongated Slot thel'eln mflal to the blade holder, said emol; pin being movable in seid Slot to plroduce oscillation of the blade holder. the blade in oscillating contacting the rolls` to stop the oscillation,

whereby the mechanism ller-zes Chu-ing rotul'oln of the rotatable membex exerting pressure of the blide on the rolls.

lu testimony whereofE have hereunto nlxed my signature.

JAEUS M. SULLE/UMR 

